Silence 2

In my rooms silence is not possible
I can not make silence happen
In my rooms, in my head
Counting over and over again
Trying too hard.

Interrupt, the day happens
We read poetry and talk about it
I open gifts for father’s day
A ream of paper a book and a lego toy
Fun appears in the form of a bionicle

Deadline, gotta be silent
I drive myself to silence
High on a nearby hill
On a stone bench beneath a spreading live oak tree
I sit

I sit straight palms on thighs, eyes closed
Counting slowly with each breath 0ne to ten
And back again and focus easily on focus
I am surprised it took so long to get there
And how good it feels

I am hopeful, finally, that perhaps I can be silent
Amidst a child’s voice and a barking dog
A siren, the thump of something falling from a tree
A crow and the slow purr of a car motor
I scratch an itch and count again.